Anxiety on rise over last 4 Years

I have reproduced it here because it shows a worrying trend in the rise of aniety and the use of Medication for the condition. I thought that I would pass this section on to you.

Remember anxiety is a thinking problem and can be resolved by making a change in your thinking. It can take time but it can be done.

Anxiety & anti-depressant use on the rise

"Research by the NHS Information Centre has shown that since the onset of the credit crunch four years ago, cases of people being admitted to hospital for anxiety disorders and panic attacks rose
by one third. Findings suggest that out-patient appointments could also be on the rise for the same conditions. Some experts believe the rise may be caused by individual’s worries about finances,
job security and other concerns associated with the current economic situation.

The findings have been echoed at Anxiety UK, where the charity has seen the amount of calls to the helpline double and emails requesting support rise 400% in the period of January to February
2009. Since then requests for help have continued to rise, with a large number experiencing Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD).

Further research by The Co-operative Pharmacy has shown that the use of anti-depressants to treat anxiety has risen by 26 per cent since 2007, with a total of 49.8 million prescriptions being
written in 2010/2011 (an increase of 10.3 million since 2007/2008). According to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), anti-depressants should be prescribed only after
lower intensity interventions, such as self-help, have been exhausted. But the number of anti-depressants prescribed (equating to one for every man woman and child in England, according to recent
reports) shows that this may not always be the case, a fact which Anxiety UK knows only too well.

“Anxiety UK’s finding suggest that 60 per cent of our members were offered medication as a first step to help with their anxiety,” Nicky Lidbetter, CEO of Anxiety UK revealed. While the
government’s Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme is going some way to adjust this figure by offering other interventions before or in conjunction with medication, Anxiety
UK continues to experience increasing demand for services, particularly for Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) via telephone and web-cam, access to peer mentoring and access to specialist
helplines run by people with personal experience of anxiety.

Nicky Lidbetter continues, “Nobody struggling with anxiety need suffer alone. We can do so much to help. Financial problems can be both a cause and a result of anxiety, and I would urge anyone
who fears that their money worries are causing them anxiety problems to get in touch for advice and support.”